City long-term care facility gets provincial shot in arm

A south Ottawa nursing home is gaining 96 new long-term care beds after the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care approved its proposal.

The beds, which will open on the grounds of St. Patrick’s Home by the end of 2010, are a $7.2-million investment that allows the facility to significantly reduce the number of people on its waiting list.

There are currently 233 people waiting for a bed at the facility, said Linda Chaplin, executive director of St. Patrick’s Home.

“This is fabulous,” said Chaplin about the funding announcement by Health and Long-Term Care Minister George Smitherman yesterday.